Alphabirding
Moderator: Scott Waters
Alphabirding
Since the Bird-a-day is doing so well, I thought I would hijack the idea to create a new game. The goal is to post a photo of a bird whose proper name (no nicknames) starts with the next letter of the alphabet. When we get to Z, we start again.
So if I start with American White Pelican, the next person could post a photo of a Brown Pelican, then the next person an Double-crested Cormorant, etc. You should get "double points" for getting both letters, i.e. Brown Booby is better than Brown Pelican for B. Of course, there are no points, but you get the idea.
The only rules will be:
1. you can't follow your own post up unless 48 hours has passed with no follow-up.
2. the next letter has to be the first letter in the bird's name. It can be the descriptor or the "group" name. Therefore, I could post a photo of a Northern Harrier or a Pygmy Nuthatch for N. No nicknames ("snakebird", "buzzard" unless it is one of the European hawks, etc,)
3. It must be your photo. Wild birds photos are what we are looking for, but if 48 hours passes with no one taking a letter you can substitute a captive/zoo bird as long as you indicate that it was captive.
4. No doubling up on letters. If someone steals your letter you have been waiting for, please don't post a second "M" bird anyway. Wait until the next round.
Let's see how far we can get.
I have a Plain Xenops photo somewhere I think, unless someone has one of the other species of Xenops, a Xantus Hummingbird, Xantus Auklet, White-naped Xenopsaris, Xinjiang Ground Jay, or Xavier's Greenbul.
I'm sure we can get through 2 or more iterations of the alphabet.
So if I start with American White Pelican, the next person could post a photo of a Brown Pelican, then the next person an Double-crested Cormorant, etc. You should get "double points" for getting both letters, i.e. Brown Booby is better than Brown Pelican for B. Of course, there are no points, but you get the idea.
The only rules will be:
1. you can't follow your own post up unless 48 hours has passed with no follow-up.
2. the next letter has to be the first letter in the bird's name. It can be the descriptor or the "group" name. Therefore, I could post a photo of a Northern Harrier or a Pygmy Nuthatch for N. No nicknames ("snakebird", "buzzard" unless it is one of the European hawks, etc,)
3. It must be your photo. Wild birds photos are what we are looking for, but if 48 hours passes with no one taking a letter you can substitute a captive/zoo bird as long as you indicate that it was captive.
4. No doubling up on letters. If someone steals your letter you have been waiting for, please don't post a second "M" bird anyway. Wait until the next round.
Let's see how far we can get.
I have a Plain Xenops photo somewhere I think, unless someone has one of the other species of Xenops, a Xantus Hummingbird, Xantus Auklet, White-naped Xenopsaris, Xinjiang Ground Jay, or Xavier's Greenbul.
I'm sure we can get through 2 or more iterations of the alphabet.
Re: Alphabird
So for the letter A, we have Southern Royal Albatross, taken off the ferry from the Stewart Island - South Island crossing in 20 foot seas - the green is for the way I felt!
- Curtis Hart
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Re: Alphabirding
Black-footed Albatross
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Crested Guan
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Eastern Phoebe
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Uhhh.....pete....nice Dunlin but...uhhh......pete wrote:dunlin
A, B, C, D, E, F...etc.
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Sh#tbiscuts!! DUH UH UH UH
no excuse there
no excuse there
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field sparrow
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This will be my one and only chance to contribute to the thread:
Green Heron
Butorides virescens (Green Heron) by Kyle L.E., on Flickr
Green Heron
Butorides virescens (Green Heron) by Kyle L.E., on Flickr
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Re: Alphabirding
I was trying to avoid the obvious Indigo Bunting and struggling to find an I bird....but then.....
Inca Dove popped into my head.
Inca Dove popped into my head.
- Curtis Hart
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Re: Alphabirding
Jabiru
Re: Alphabirding
Wow, I thought we were going to be stuck on J for a while. I had some Js, but couldn't post them since I did the letter I.
I'll leave K for someone else since I've already done a few.
Awesome Jabiru shot. That's a curse bird for me, I just can't seem to stumble across one!
I'll leave K for someone else since I've already done a few.
Awesome Jabiru shot. That's a curse bird for me, I just can't seem to stumble across one!
- herpseeker1978
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Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Josh
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- herpseeker1978
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Mountain Bluebird
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White-tailed Nightjar from Bonaire.
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O is for Ocellated Turkey
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Antonsrkn,
That's an awesome Ocellated Turkey shot. I've seen them dozens of times but never in good enough light to get that kind of shot.
The thing about Ocellated Turkeys for me is that I can never decide if they are beautiful........or hideously ugly.
That's an awesome Ocellated Turkey shot. I've seen them dozens of times but never in good enough light to get that kind of shot.
The thing about Ocellated Turkeys for me is that I can never decide if they are beautiful........or hideously ugly.
- Curtis Hart
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Re: Alphabirding
Chrish, the Jabirus were relatively common in the Llanos of Venezuela.
Karoo Prinia
Karoo Prinia
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Is that Prinia by any chance a Babbler? Very similar in form to California's Wrentit, which has been considered closely allied while distantly removed.
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Curtis,
That's funny. I was just thinking when we got to P "I hope someone posts a Prinia, if anyone has a photo".
I've always liked Prinias since I was birding in SE Asia in the 80s.
My fingers are crossed that we'll get a Zitting Cisticola for Z!
EDIT - Oops, forgot Q. DOH!
Obvious choice - Golden-headed Quetzal from Ecuador.
That's funny. I was just thinking when we got to P "I hope someone posts a Prinia, if anyone has a photo".
I've always liked Prinias since I was birding in SE Asia in the 80s.
My fingers are crossed that we'll get a Zitting Cisticola for Z!
EDIT - Oops, forgot Q. DOH!
Obvious choice - Golden-headed Quetzal from Ecuador.
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Re: Alphabirding
Matt,
That is a bad-ass woodpecker. I guess it is the same genus as Lineated and Pale-billed? That is an awesome group.
Chris
That is a bad-ass woodpecker. I guess it is the same genus as Lineated and Pale-billed? That is an awesome group.
Chris
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Re: Alphabirding
Yeah these guys are awesome. They're Campephilus, which has to be the coolest genus of woodpeckers. I think that Pale-Billed are Campephilus as well, but Lineateds are Dryocopus (arguably the second coolest genus). Both Robust and Lineated Woodpeckers were common at my study site. You didn't have to go far to find the rare Helmeted Woodpecker either. Now that thing was crazy looking.
- Andy Avram
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Re: Alphabirding
Tree Swallow.
Andy
I'll second that notion. I was hoping to see one in Europe this past summer, mostly because I love the name!chrish wrote:My fingers are crossed that we'll get a Zitting Cisticola for Z!
Andy
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Re: Alphabirding
Here's my entry for V (How did we get to V so fast??)
Volcano Hummingbird
Volcano Hummingbird
Re: Alphabirding
W is for Wood storks!
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Uh oh......I can't find my Plain Xenops photo. I will have to look tonight more closely.
No Xantus Auklet or Hummingbird photos?
Let's give it a day or so, then we can expand the rules to "adjust" for the letter X.
No Xantus Auklet or Hummingbird photos?
Let's give it a day or so, then we can expand the rules to "adjust" for the letter X.
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Re: Alphabirding
That's funny, I have a Plain Xenops photo on an external hard drive somewhere that I can't find either! It's not very good but hey.
- Andy Avram
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Re: Alphabirding
I don't have any X-birds, but if "proper name" includes scientific names, then a Yellow-headed Blackbird picture would work. If someone has a picture of one...
Re: Alphabirding
Yeah, that was my plan B, so let's go for it.
There are a bunch of X bird genera listed here - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_bird_genera, including some pretty easy ones (Yellow-headed Blackbird, Sabine's Gull, a large genus of common Woodcreepers, etc.). I have a photo of Xiphorhynchus erythropygius, but I'll defer to someone else.
So...who's got one of those X genera birds?
There are a bunch of X bird genera listed here - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_bird_genera, including some pretty easy ones (Yellow-headed Blackbird, Sabine's Gull, a large genus of common Woodcreepers, etc.). I have a photo of Xiphorhynchus erythropygius, but I'll defer to someone else.
So...who's got one of those X genera birds?
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Re: Alphabirding
Yellow Grosbeak
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Here's my only shot from my only sighting of a Zenaida Dove from Ria Lagartos, Yucatan, Mexico.
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Re: Alphabirding
OK, so we made it through once easily. Let's try again, but this time lets make it a bit more challenging.
This time through, the letter has to be the FIRST LETTER IN THE FULL NAME. So for A, we can't use an Royal Albatross this time, it must be an Atlantic Puffin or something similar..
You also can't use the same species used in the last round.
Who's first?
This time through, the letter has to be the FIRST LETTER IN THE FULL NAME. So for A, we can't use an Royal Albatross this time, it must be an Atlantic Puffin or something similar..
You also can't use the same species used in the last round.
Who's first?
- herpseeker1978
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Re: Alphabirding
Burrowing Owl
- Andy Avram
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Forest Canada Geese.
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Double-toothed Kite from Ecuador.
- Curtis Hart
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Eastern Screech Owl
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Ferruginous Pygmy Owl
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- gone herpin
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Gould's Wild Turkey's
- gone herpin
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Re: Alphabirding
Damnit, you beat me to it...
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Hooded Warbler - a particular favorite